Stauff has abandoned traditional Zinc and yellow chromating (A3C) plating in favour of the more environmentally-friendly alternative Zinc-Nickel coating and passivation.

Walter Stauffenberg (Stauff) - manufacturers of hydraulic components and accessories, has made the decision to abandon the use of the traditional plating method of Zinc and yellow chromating (A3C) in favour of the alternative Zinc-Nickel coating and passivation. It has been known for some years that the yellow chromating of the surface contains hexavalent chromium. Hexavalent chromium, or chromium (VI) for short, is classed as carcinogenic and can cause allergies in case of direct contact.

The reason behind this development that is still ongoing to this day is the EU Directive on End-of-Life-Vehicles and the RoHS Directive.

These directives govern the disposal and recycling and, as such, the use of hexavalent chromium.

A part of these bans has already been imposed in recent years; the exception applying to the use of chromium (VI) in anticorrosive coatings being due to expire on 1 July 2007.

Whilst Stauff products are not directly affected by this situation, the decision was made to pursue use of the alternative for both environmental reasons and also importantly to provide real additional corrosion protection.

The performance of Zinc Nickel coating + passivation is far superior to the current and common alternatives.

Testing to DIN EN ISO 9227 Salt Spray shows significant improvements : White rust resistance X 4 Red rust resistance X 3.

The customer benefits of this more expensive manufacturing option have been an important part in the decision for Stauff to adopt Zinc Nickel + passivation and sealing for all products.